Children of New Cybertron
by baileystar
Summary: The third installment of the 'Hero' series. Follow the children of Brooke and Optimus, as well as the children of Akila and Ironhide, as they find their way in New Cybertron.
1. Welcome to the Future

"Goooood morning New Cybertron! It's 7 o'clock meaning it's time to rise and put the pedal to the metal! It's a nice warm day here at our headquarters in Cybertropolis with not a single cloud in sight. Also, a big congrats to all you graduates today! We here at 94.7 The Mech wish you the best of luck in your life!"

Jace could hear no more before he hit the 'off' button on his alarm clock. Mornings were never his strong suit, even though he was in the military.

There was a knock on his door, but Jace ignored it and covered his head with his pillow. He heard the door slide open and someone walk in.

"Come on Jace, we have to get ready."

Jace ran a hand through his spikey blond hair. "The graduation isn't until noon, we have lots of time," he said.

Aaron Hide sighed and crossed his arms. "We also have a meeting with the new recruits to let them know what they're getting themselves into. And some are already arriving. So you need to get dressed!" he ordered.

"I'm the older one, aren't I?"

"But I'm the more responsible one, now move. The recruits are ecstatic to meet the son of two Primes," he said, pulling the sheets away. Jace moaned and finally sat up.

Aaron was already dressed for the day in his uniform- a sleek, all black outfit with red lines along the shoulders and bottom on his pants. He also had many patches on his vest- one Autobot symbol as well as the New Cybertronian symbol. His black hair was sleeked back.

Jace groaned and finally got out of his bed. Aaron left Jace to his dressing and went down to the large auditorium. Jace threw on his uniform and made his way down as well. The auditorium was filled to the brim with new recruits. New soldiers of both species were arriving every day and Cybertronians who were thrust into the war were finally given formal training. Also, with graduation season upon the planet, there was an influx of recruits.

Standing on the stage when Jace arrived was Aaron and a blond man in a similar uniform to Aaron but his was white instead of black. There was also a woman in a plain red uniform with black stripes. Her skin was an olive color and she had short black hair.

"About time you showed up," the girl said, crossing his arms.

Jace shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Oh calm down Anka, I'm here aren't I?" Anka rolled his eyes and looked out onto the crowd.

"They look pretty eager to begin. Shall we start?" the blond man asked. Everyone nodded, so he moved forward and cleared his throat. The crown instantly silenced. "Hello everyone, it's great to see such a large crowd. My name is Lucas Pax, and I am the second child of Optimus and Virimus Prime. I also serve as second in command for the New Cybertronian medical unit. Welcome to the New Cybertronian military. Since the planet is still developing, we still run the risk of allies to the Decepticon cause, as well as human anti-Cybertronian involvement, hence why we need a strong military presence. Now, let me introduce you to two other officers," he introduced, and gestured to Aaron and Jace.

Aaron stepped forward next. "Hello recruits! I am Aaron Hide, second in command of our weapons and tactics. I'm 24 years old and have been trained by my father and our chief weapons and tactics officer, Ironhide, since I was old enough to hold a gun. Needless to say, my mother wasn't very happy about that!" This prompted a few laughs from the crowd.

Anka came forward and crossed her arms behind her back. "My name is Anka Hide and I am the first born child of Ironhide and Akila Hide," she introduced.

"Older by one minute," Aaron commented.

Anka rolled her eyes and continued. "I am first in command when it comes to engineering. If you're with me, you will be inventing new weapons, new upgrades, and new innovations. The medical staff can go so far, but it is up to us to get an edge on our enemies," and with that, she was done. Anka was a very solemn woman and took her job seriously.

Finally Jace stepped forward. "Best for last, huh? I'm Jace Pax, the eldest child of Optimus and Virimus Prime. I'm third in command of the entire army, behind my father and Commander Bumblebee, respectively. Like plenty of you, I was born on Earth, so thank you all for being here and protecting this great planet. You won't regret it, I promise you," he said, and stepped back for Lucas to give orders. Lucas, though he was two years younger than Jace, was usually much more cool and collected.

"Now everyone, if you will go to your assigned bunkers, you may unpack. Any needs you may have will be addressed to your second in command, as we will all be out for the evening for a family event. Tomorrow, the real work begins. That is all," he said. Everyone began to stand up and leave the room.

Jace turned to Aaron. "This is what you woke me up for? Some five minute speech?"

"We're heading home as soon as you guys get dressed so we can help mom and Aunt Brooke set up a celebration dinner," Anka answered.

Lucas smiled and closed his eyes. "Oh, homemade cooking, how I've missed you! Synthetics just does not have the same taste," he commented. "Anyway, come on, let's go get on some civilian clothes, pack some nice clothes, and get out of here."

They all went separate ways to their rooms where they put on regular clothes. Jace wore a tee shirt and cargo shorts, Aaron wore a tee shirt and jeans, Lucas wore a white button up and cargos, and Anka put on black pants and a blue blouse. They met up near the entrance to the base, where a short blue mech was waiting on them.

"Thanks for giving us a ride home, Evac," Aaron thanked. Evac smiled and nodded at them. Since there was no immediate danger, Evac did not have to focus on his job, which was to take any important artifacts away from the enemy's attack. Evac transformed into his roof-less car self and they were off through the city of Cybertropolis. Their home was on the other side of the city and, with the morning traffic, it took about an hour to get there.

New Cybertron had only been established for 22 years and it was, surprisingly, growing very fast. Cybertropolis was a thriving city. Washington was once a pure human city to help Cybertronians adjust to living with humans, but now they were fully integrated. Two more cities popped up as well: the industrial city of Iacon and the peaceful, relaxation site of Tyger Pax. Axion Nexus was a travel site for all humans and refugees to come to Cybertron. Antihex was close to Iacon and served as a slum site and the area for underground trade. The police were closely monitoring it and deporting any humans who were breaking the laws as well as arresting any Cybertronians, but they were very sneaky and hard to catch. The Prime leaders were unhappy with the creation of Antihex, but with any world, it couldn't be helped.

"When's the last time any of us went home?" Jace wondered. Everyone thought about it but they couldn't think of a recent time.

"It's been at least six months," Lucas said. "But I mean I work with Ratchet all the time and he tells me how grandma's doing. And I see mom and dad, as well as Aunt Akila and Uncle 'Hide, around base all the time. So it's not like we never see each other."

The rest of the ride was relatively silent with the light hum of the radio and the sound of the wind blowing in their ears. At stoplights, people would stop and wave at the famous family, with which they would smile and wave back.

Finally the skyscrapers of new Cybertron were replaced with the large houses of the New Cybertronian leaders, both military and political. Finally they reached the gates that led to the wrap around driveway to three large mansions. Evac's holoform, who was in the driver seat, pressed the button.

"State your intentions," a young female asked over the voice box.

"I have some Pax's and Hide's ready for a party," Evac joked.

"Oh, come in!" the girl said, a smile evident in her voice. The gates opened and Evac zoomed to the doors of the largest mansion. Everyone piled out of the car and grabbed their clothes out of the trunk.

Soon the door opened and an older woman with wrinkles on her face walked out. Her blond hair was thin and down to her shoulders. She wore an orange blouse and white skirt.

"Oh, my boys! I'm so glad you could come!" she exclaimed as she walked up to them. Jace and Lucas dropped their bags and gave their mother a hug.

"Of course! So where's the graduate?" Jace asked.

When they broke the hug, he looked to see a girl in the doorway. She was older and had bright blue eyes with light eyeliner on. Her hair was thick and a bright blue color. She wore a red dress that stopped at her knees.

"Well, long time, no see!" she said with a smile at the two boys.

Jace walked forward and opened his arms. "Well what can I say, we're busy on base! Now, are you gonna give me a hug or what?" he asked. The girl smirked and ran into his arms. He gave her a tight hug and then ruffled her hair.

After they broke apart, Lucas gave the girl a tight hug as well. "It's nice to see you, Amarith," he greeted. "Congratulations on the graduation."

"Lucas, hush!" Amarith scolded. "Don't jinx it! Something could still go terribly wrong!"

"Amarith don't say that," Brooke said.

Amarith smirked and folded her arms. Brooke and Amarith then reunited with Anka and Aaron then the family went inside. Evac left the area to return back to base.

When they got inside, they were greeted by two mechs and two more women. The mechs, Optimus Prime and Ironhide, were still looking ready for battle, but they were looking a bit older. Meanwhile, there was an older looking woman with dark skin and her long black hair up in a bun. There was also an elderly woman sitting in a chair with a cane next to her. They all turned and looked when the new arrivals.

"Oh my, my, look at these grown people! Who are you again?" the elderly woman joked.

Jace smiled and lightly hugged the woman. "It's nice to see you too, grandma," he greeted.

The woman with dark hair, Akila, was hugging her two children as well. "About time you got here! Your father isn't exactly the best when it comes to putting on parties," she joked. Ironhide scoffed at that and crossed his arms.

Optimus, meanwhile, had transformed and activated his holoform, which was a middle aged blue haired man with a few graying spots and few wrinkles. He gave his sons a tight hug before wrapping an arm around his wife.

"It is great to see you all after such a long time," Optimus said. "I haven't been to base in a long time it seems."

"Yeah, why is that, dad?" Jace asked.

Optimus pointed at Amarith with his thumb and the blue haired girl looked stunned. "I've been working on getting her a job in politics. One month from now, she will begin shadowing me in politics," he explained

"Think of it like an internship," Brooke explained.

After chatting for a bit, the family began to get the home ready for Amarith's graduation party. Lucas, Amarith, and Brooke all worked on blowing up balloons and hanging them throughout the home. Akila and Aaron worked on cooking the grand dinner that was to be served while Optimus went out to buy plenty of energon. Ironhide and Anka, having no decoration skills, moved the extra chairs and tables from the storage area.

Finally it hit noon and the family got dressed. They all huddled inside of Ironhide and Optimus (and the extra, non-transforming car, which Jace drove) and they were off to the school.

New Cybertron had a developing school system. There was at least one school system in every major city (two in Cybertropolis) which taught the basics to living on New Cybertron. History was a major component of the curriculum, with Cybertronian as well as Earth history being taught. Students learned of the ancient tales of the Primes and the Fallen, as well as stories of events such as the French Revolution.

Amarith went to New Cybertron Academy, the same school Jace and Lucas graduated from. It was right in the middle of their district and it was where the children of New Cybertron's politicians and leaders went. Will and Sarah Lennox's granddaughter, Raine, was a freshman at the school.

They arrived and found their seats in the large auditorium while Amarith left to sit with her fellow graduates. The seats in the auditorium were Cybertronian-sized, so the family needed a bit of help getting onto the seats. But soon everyone was settled and the names began to be called.

After about 30 minutes, Amarith's row finally stood up.

"Amarith Pax," the principal, a man named James Gills, called. Amarith walked onto the stage and took the diploma in her hand. She sat back in her chair. After 30 more minutes of names, the ceremony was over and the graduates threw their hats into the air.

"You all go outside, I will go find her," Optimus said. Everyone agreed and left while Optimus made his way down to the auditorium floor. Many eyes were on the New Cybertronian leader and many smiled and nodded at him.

"Optimus, sir!" a voice called. Optimus turned to see a young mech with a diploma in his hands. "It is such an honor to meet you!" he said.

Optimus, always one for greeting the younger generation, smiled and shook his hand. "And what is your name?" he asked.

"Stormrunner," he said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, so thank you for everything you've done!" Optimus smiled at him then went to find his daughter.

He finally found the girl in the corner with her human boyfriend, a boy named Damian Jones. His father was involved in human relations and was a Marine back on Earth. The duo had been dating for a few months and Damian planned to join the police force.

"Amarith, it is time to go," Optimus told her. Amarith jumped at the sound of her father's voice. She then gave her boyfriend a quick peck and followed her father out of the auditorium. They then reunited with the family and returned home for the party.

There were only a few close friends invited to the party and Amarith had to make sure and do her rounds and visit every guest.

She started with the Witwicky's. Sam and Michaela were aged as well, and Sam had some balding, a sad trait given to him by his father. Michaela was still beautiful even in her age, and let her long black curls fall down over her shoulder. Ben was unable to come to the party, since he was on Earth studying to become a lawyer at Harvard Law School. Bumblebee came with them though and greeted the Pax and Hide children with huge hugs, as he had been their best friends as they grew up.

Next came the Lennox's. Will and Sarah sat with Brooke's mother and served as the elderly figures for the party. They both had light gray hair and Will found it harder to be physically active, a side effect of his years of military work. Annabelle was middle aged and stayed close to her parents, in case they needed anything. She didn't have to keep a close eye on her daughter, as the brown haired girl was sitting with her tablet in the corner. Annabelle's husband, Jason, was out of town on a business trip to Iacon.

Amarith also visited with her Uncle Ultra Magnus, but he was busy trading war stories with Anka, as the two shared many personality traits.

Soon the party came to a close and the family sat outside, listening to the waves.

"Well, I'm graduated," Amarith said, leaning against her father's leg. Optimus smiled and rubbing his finger against her back.

Brooke smiled and sat next to her two sons. The family was reunited, but only for the night. Tomorrow, the children would return to base and Amarith would relax a bit before following her father to the Capitol to learn politics.

But, at the moment, all was fine.

* * *

><p><em>Welcome back everyone! I'm so proud of this chapter. Welcome to New Cybertron! This is set 23 years after 'A True Leader'. Review please!<em>


	2. Daily Life on New Cybertron

Morning at the Pax and Hide household was the same as it had been before the children grew up: Brooke and Akila were making a breakfast of eggs and bacon, Anka was sipping at her coffee, trying to wake up, Amarith was still fast asleep, Lucas was reading a medical diary, and Optimus, Ironhide, Jace, and Aaron were checking their holodisks for any news of crimes.

Like normal, Antihex was a hive for the filth of the planet so, of course, most of the news of criminal activity came from there. There were very many reports of burglary, assault, and the like. Optimus had to finally put down the holodisk.

"I am very disappointed with the goings-on in Antihex," he declared, shaking his head and grabbing the bridge of his holoform's nose. "We did not create this planet for its inhabitants to live in fear."

Lucas put down his medical reading and set it down on the table. "You can't imagine how many patients I have had from there. All of them blaming other Cybertronians. It's pure anarchy there," he explained.

"Guys, come on," Akila said, placing the food on the table. "I thought we made this rule abundantly clear years ago. No talking about politics at breakfast!"

"Here, here," Brooke said, raising her coffee.

"Holodisks. Now," Akila demanded, opening her hand. All of the table members shut down their disks and gave them to the Egyptian. Akila took the holodisks over to the counter and placed them there. "First one to touch a holodisk has to do dishes," she threatened.

Soon breakfast was all laid out and Akila and Brooke joined their families.

"There, isn't this nice?" Brooke said with a smile. Everyone chuckled at the woman's attempt to bring the family together. "So, how are the new recruits?"

Aaron answered her but, with his mouth full of food, it was not understandable. He was met with a swift hit on the head by his father, causing him to quickly swallow. "Not too bad," he said, emphasizing every word and rubbing the area on his head where Ironhide hit him.

Anka leaned back and crossed her arms. "I can't wait to break them down today," she said with a smile, glazing half-asleep into her coffee. Ironhide chuckled at her while everyone else looked terrified.

Jace's terrified face soon turned into a big grin when he saw who walked in the door. "Welcome to the Land of the Living!" he said. Brooke, clad in an Arizona Cardinals tee shirt and black plaid pajama bottoms with her blue hair up in a ponytail, walked into the room.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh. But the fact that I'm awake before noon is an accomplishment for me," she explained.

She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a plate of breakfast. After putting her plate down, she grabbed a holodisk from the pile and sat down in a chair. She started to browse the news on the disk when she looked up and saw her family staring at her with smirks on their faces.

"What?"

With that, Jace stood up. "Well, I think it's time we get back to the base, huh guys?" he asked, looking to Aaron and Anka. The twins nodded and stood up as well. Brooke and Akila looked sad, but they knew it was time for them to leave.

"I'll call Evac to come get us," Anka said, lifting up the communications device on her wrist. "Anka to Evac, come in," she spoke. Evac's voice came back almost immediately. "Requesting transport back to base," she explained. Evac said he would be there in about an hour, giving the group enough time to pack their things and say their goodbyes.

Optimus and Ironhide promised to see their children on base, even with Amarith some times. Brooke and Akila made them promise to come visit, especially since their grandmother's health was beginning to fail.

Before they knew it, the group had left their home and were back on base, watching the higher-up soldiers "warm up" the recruits for the day. Lucas disappeared to go to the medical room and Anka left to go to engineering.

"Time for some fun?" Aaron asked his cousin, a smirk plastered on his face.

Jace just laughed and walked down to the recruits. "Well good morning to all of you! I trust you all slept well?" he said, eyeing them all doing pushups. He sees one recruit, a Cybertronian, struggling to get his arms at 90 degrees for the push up. Jace walked over to him and put his hands behind his back. "What's your name, recruit?" he asked.

"Starshot, sir," he said, his vents huffing.

"Well, Starshot, you are a grown mech and you are having trouble doing a push up," he said. Starshot kept his optics to the ground and kept moving up and down as commanded. "Come on, you can do it. Just get down to 90 degrees and hold it," he ordered. Starshot slowly lowered himself lower and lower until he was finally at the right angle. He was struggling to hold it, however. "You got it! You got it! Now go up!" The mech listened and pushed up, letting out a grunt. Jace smiled. "Good job, recruit," he said, and stood up.

Across the room, Aaron was talking to the soldiers. "Come on, you're going to have to do a bit better than that if you are going to defend the planet!" he yelled at them. "This is going to be a _long_ morning if you all don't start acting right!"

Jace noticed a girl with short blond hair also struggling with the pushups. When he started to walk over to her, she moved her eyes to the ground as if a puppy being disciplined by its owner. When he got to her, he smirked and put his hand on his hip.

"Don't make me do that speech all over again," he said playfully.

"Sorry, sir," she apologized, still keeping eyes to the ground. "It's just that I am a girl, so it's a bit harder for me."

Suddenly the sound of a door slamming shut filled the entire room, making many of the recruits flinch. Anka had entered the room and heard what the girl said.

"O-ho you're in for it now," Jace said with a chuckle.

Anka made her way over to the girl and glared at her. "You're a girl. Seriously? _That's_ your excuse?" she scolded. "Do you know how hard it is to be treated as an equal in the military? My father is in charge of the military, my aunt and uncle are both Primes, and I _still_ get underestimated because of my sex. So when recruits use their sex as an excuse for not working hard, it really makes me mad. So what if you're a girl? You can still do it. Now, give me twenty," she commanded. The girl, terrified, did the twenty pushups. It was a struggle at first, but she found her strength and did it.

"Alright, recruits, break time. Meet at the obstacle course outside in half an hour. Out," the lead soldier yelled. The recruits all looked relieved.

As soon as they started to file out, Aaron walked up to Anka.

Geez, sis, you didn't have to go so hard on the girl," he joked.

Anka crossed her arms. "Shut up, Aaron," she spat. "I was only coming here to tell you that Uncle Optimus has requested for Jace to come see him right away."

"He misses me already?" Jace asked as he stretched out his arms. "I'll head over there."

Jace left the large room and made his way to the underground train that connected the capitol building and the military headquarters. To get there, he had to go through the medical area, meaning he was going to be paying a visit to Lucas.

Lucas was showing the small batch of new recruits around the different rooms of the bay. Many of the recruits who joined the New Cybertronian army wanted to see action and join military pursuits, so the medical staff was seriously reduced.

"Now a good doctor needs to be ready for anything. Decepticons aren't that big of a deal anymore, so we don't have to deal with too many injuries, but you have to know how to treat both Cybertronians and humans. It's probably the toughest job in the entire army," Lucas explained.

Jace just laughed at his brother, causing the entire room to look at him. Lucas was unamused at Jace's antics. "Look, bro, you guys can use your brains all you want, but it's the muscles that get the real pain," he said.

Lucas ignored Jace and looked back at his new staffers. "Take a break to look around and talk to your fellow staffers," he told them. They all went about their business and Lucas glared at Jace. "One day, Jace. Could I not have one day without you undermining the medical community? I can't even count how many times I've had to put you back together after different missions," Lucas complained.

Jace lifted his arms in a defensive way. "Whoa, calm down there. I was just swinging by to say hi," he clarified.

Lucas moved to grab a few beakers that were left out and put the back in their spots. "Aren't you supposed to be beating up the recruits?" he questioned.

"Nah, I'm going to see dad."

This made Lucas freeze for a moment, then continue to put the beakers away. "Oh? And what does he want from you?" he asked.

Jace shrugged and leaned against the doorframe. "I'm not sure; probably just a mission or something," he explained.

This made Lucas frown even more. He couldn't remember the last time his father called him to his office, if even once. And now with Amarith beginning her own career, his chances would be slim to none. No one needed a medic in a military family.

"Get out of here, then. Go get your mission. I'll be here, as always," he said, shooing his older brother away.

Jace could sense the bitterness in Lucas' voice, but decided to leave it alone. He went down to the trolley and made his way over to his father's office.

"Hey, dad, you here?" he asked as he walked in the door. He was greeted by Amarith, dressed in a tan colored blouse and black skirt. She was seated at the desk in the waiting room to his office, looking bored on the computer. When she saw him, her face brightened.

"Jace! Hey! It's great to see you!" she said, standing up. "Being a secretary can be so boring. I just sit here and call on people to come see dad."

Jace smiled and ruffled her hair. "So can I go in? Anka told me he wanted to see me," he asked. Amarith nodded and gestured to the doors to his office.

Jace stepped in to the office he knew so well. Since the capitol was one of the first buildings built on New Cybertron, he often stayed in the office as a child when his mother was on Earth for diplomatic trips. There were pictures of his siblings and himself all over the walls. His favorite was a photo of his mother and father at his mother's prom. Many times he had heard the stories of how his mother and father met, and he loved seeing photos of the time.

"Ah, Jace, it is good to see you," Optimus greeted, setting down his data pad. He was currently using his holoform. "I hate to get straight down to business, but we have an emergency. There has been a robbery in Anrihex at a parts shop. Normally this would not be concerning, but there is someone, or some group, looking for many parts. I need you to get to Antihex and investigate," he explained.

Jace was stunned at the amount of information. "Would you think it could be… Decepticons?" he asked.

Optimus looked at his son with a concerned look. "There is always a chance," he said. He then stood up, walked over to Jace, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I would investigate myself, but I am currently preoccupied with meetings. Officials from different countries on Earth have come to visit, and I must help convince them to allow their citizens to immigrate to New Cybertron. Your mother is currently meeting with them now."

Jace smiled at his father. "Relax, dad, this will be easy. I know a few recruits that could help me out on the mission. I'll be back before the day is even over," he assured. Optimus nodded at his son.

Jace left the office and made his way back to the military headquarters, ready to get his recruits together.


	3. Antihex

The streets of Antihex, even during the day, showed the divide leftover from the Great War. Cybertronians with red and blue optics glared at each other like a battle for territory. Homes were boarded up as protection from invaders. Bars filled with alcohol and high-grade were flourishing as the sun began to set.

Jace observed this from the driver seat of Starshot's alt form while the female recruit from the day prior, Lea Reed, sat in the passenger seat. Jace was glad he brought along these two recruits, since they did get a bit of a beating before.

"My mom always told me I wasn't allowed to go to Antihex. I see why now," Lea said, looking around with wide eyes.

Starshot pulled up to the scene of the crime: a parts store with its front windows cracked out. The owner, an older blue and white mech, stood outside, fretting to a neighbor. Jace and Lea got out of the car and Starshot transformed.

Jace walked up to the owner. "Hello sir, I'm Jace Pax. We're here to investigate your break-in," he explained. "Can you tell us when happened?"

The store owner stared down at Jace, as if unamused by his size. "About time," he scoffed. "A gang breaks into my home and steals my children, and it takes a whole day just to respond?"

Lea stepped forward. "Sir, we're sorry it took so long, but could you repeat that? They stole your children?"

The store owner stared down at Lea the same way he stared at Jace. "Yes! They didn't take a single part, but they stole my two sons, Aquastreak and Silverstorm!" he yelled.

Jace was stunned. Optimus said nothing about a kidnapping. "Mind if we have a look inside?" he asked. The owner nodded and motioned to the door.

Starshot held it open for the two humans (most buildings in Antihex were not human-friendly) and they went inside. There were large chunks of glass on the inside as well but, like the owner said, all of the parts were still in their spots.

Jace noticed that there were a few dents in the wall. "There seems to be signs of a struggle. But why would they want to kidnap two mechs?" he wondered.

"It's those damned Decepticons, I'm telling you," the store owner said, walking into his store. "I was once a high-ranking Autobot general during the war. Now, I'm reduced to owning a parts shop and watching my children get kidnapped."

Jace looked sympathetically at the mech. Many of the generals from the Great War had returned to live mundane lives, and it seemed as though this mech was being thrust right back into it.

"Sir, we promise we will do everything we can to get your sons back," Jace assured. The mech nodded and glanced sadly at a family photo sitting near the cash register. "We're going to head back to base now and I will let Optimus know of what is going on."

Jace moved for the recruits to leave and he followed them. But when he got out, he noticed a girl sitting near the store, as if she was waiting for him. The girl seemed a few years younger than Jace and had long dark red hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes. She wore a long sleeve dark purple dress, tights, and brown shoes.

"You're Jace Pax, aren't you? Son of Optimus and Virimus Prime?" she asked.

Jace stopped and waved for the other to get ready to go. "Yeah, that's me. How may I help you?"

The girl lifted up from the side of the store and walked towards Jace. "I'm Abigail Riley. I'm the daughter of Antihex's leader, Aiden Riley," she explained. "Surely you've heard of what happened with the leader of Antihex?"

Jace couldn't say he had. When the leaders for the different cities were being assigned, he was just a young child. His mother and father didn't tell him much of politics, especially for Antihex.

Abigail sighed. "Sounds about right. When the leaders were chosen, there were 4 leaders: three Cybertronians and one human, my father. When the city got out of hand, the Cybertronians left. My father is very prideful and loves New Cybertron, so he doesn't want to tell Optimus or Virimus that he cannot handle it. But it is very unsafe here without constant military support," she said.

Jace nodded. "I will definitely tell my parents about it, but I can't promise anything at the moment," he said. It was a common response that his parents had taught him to tell people when they asked him for things.

Abigail looked around to where the nightlife of Antihex was beginning. "It's not safe at Antihex at night. I invite you and your friends to come back to my home. There's a Decepticon uprising and my father knows all about it. It could help with whatever you were investigating in there," she offered.

Jace looked to the red eyes appearing and realized that, if something were really bigger about this, their lives could be in danger. "Thank you for your hospitality. I believe I will take you up on that offer," he said.

Starshot was already transformed into his alt form and Lea was already inside. Jace held the door open for Abigail to get in, then got in himself.

"We're headed to the home of the leader of Antihex. This is his daughter, Abigail, and she has offered us stay at her home," he explained to the recruits. The others agreed with their commanding officer. Abigail gave them directions to her home and they were off.

The Riley household was a bit better than the other homes on Antihex. It was fenced in and there was a shield protecting it. The home was dull colored and had no windows. When they got there, Abigail gave a code that let them enter.

The home was obviously built for Cybertronians, since the front door was huge. Abigail pressed a button which caused the door to open and welcomed the three soldiers in. Starshot used his holoform: a man with short black hair in a military uniform.

"Abi? Is that you?" a voice called out. In walked a man with short gray hair wearing a gray suit with a black belt. "Oh? Guests?" Then he recognized Jace and rushed forward to shake his hand. "Oh, Jace Pax! It is such an honor to have you in my home! Welcome, welcome," he greeted, feverishly shaking his hand.

"Dad," Abigail scolded. Her father quickly backed up and released his hand. "I met them in the city today. It was getting dark, so I offered them a home for the night. Also, I was hoping you could tell them about Nitroblade."

Aiden froze and looked around, as if scared to use his name. "Please, come to the sitting room. I will explain more there," he said, and led them to a nearby room. In the room was two couches where everyone sat.

"Nitroblade is a Decepticon, plain and simple," Aiden explained, looking to the ground. "He fled Cybertron during the Great War and never reunited with the Decepticons on Earth. Somehow he found his way to New Cybertron and was able to enter the planet. Since then, he has been gathering ex-Decepticons for a new uprising. They believe that the Decepticons should be the rulers of New Cybertron, not the Autobots. Many times he has stood outside of my home, threatening to kill me and my family. Lately our crime rate has been up and many of the victims blame Nitroblade and his followers."

Jace had never heard of Nitroblade before, and he was very surprised. How had a report of a Decepticon leader not been brought to the attention of the capitol?

"Have you filed a report on this mech?" Jace asked.

Aiden shook his head. "No, I have instead sent many police forces out to find him. This is not that large of a matter to concern the Primes with," he explained. Well there was that pride Abigail spoke of.

"Sir, there are two young mechs missing and this man is the lead suspect. If there is an uprising being planned, this needs to be brought to the Primes immediately," Starshot commented.

Aiden's eyes widened. "Two mechs… are missing? I did not know of this," he said.

"Probably because your people went straight to the government instead of to you," Lea said. Jace sent her a stern glare, even though it was true.

Abigail stood up, sensing the tension between the recruits and her father. "Perhaps I can show you to your room for the night," she said, a little upset at how they treated her father. Jace, understanding, nodded.

Abigail took them to three rooms, all side by side. First she showed the recruits then showed Jace to his own room.

"I'm sorry for the way my soldiers acted," he said, sitting down on the bed.

Abigail leaned against the window. "That's alright, I understand where you're coming from. This is why I'm begging you for help. My father was a leader back on Earth, but I don't think he knows enough to run a large city such as this," she said.

"So I'm guessing you were born on Earth?"

"I was born in Norwich, England. I lived there until I was five, then we relocated here. Can't you hear the accent?" she asked with the chuckle, exaggerating the accent at the end.

Jace laughed at her. "Yeah, I imagine so!" he joked. "I was born on Earth too, in Alaska. I came to New Cybertron when I was only a couple of months old, but because of my rapid growth, it was like I was two years old."

"Oh, that's right, you're half Cybertronian and half human. How does that work? You look like a human, but are you completely human?"

Jace shrugged. "Well, it's sort of like that. We are mostly human, we just age differently. We start by growing rapidly, but then the aging slows down. I was born by the merging of sparks with my mother and father so, now that I am fully matured, I will age at about the rate of one human year per ten human years. So I have ten times the life of a usual human. But as for my siblings and cousins, who were conceived in a more human way, they will mature at a rate of about one year to five years, so five times the length of a human. Not exactly Cybertronian life span, but much longer than a human," he explained.

Abigail moved to sit next to Jace. "So, you're already fully matured?"

"Exactly," Jace said. "We mature by about 22 years of age. I am actually 24 years old, but I still look 22. And I won't really age up until I'm really 32. My cousins are both already fully matured and my brother just recently matured. My sister is still growing, though." He then put his hand behind his head. "I'm sorry, I went a little too in depth than needed."

Abigail chuckled. "No, it was a good explanation! Thanks for sharing," she assured. She then stood up and walked out of the room. "Well, I'll leave you to your sleep. Night, Pax," she said, then left.

Jace kept smiling when she left but finally decided to settle into the bed. He sent a message to his parents telling them that he would report in tomorrow morning. He then fell into a deep sleep.

Jace woke up early the next morning and woke up his recruits. As they were walking to the front door, Abigail greeted them, still in her pajamas.

"Thank you all for staying, I wish you luck with solving what is going on," she said, opening the door.

Lea and Starshot left the house but Jace stayed behind. "I'll let my parents know what's happening and request more help for Antihex," he assured her.

Abigail surprised him a huge hug. "Thank you so much!" she said. She then realized what she was doing and quickly backed away, her face turning red. "S-Sorry," she apologized.

Jace chuckled. "I'll see you around, Abi," he said, and left. He climbed into Starshot's alt form and they made their way back to Cybertropolis.

Leaving Antihex, Jace could see the various red optics that stared him down.

When they finally got to the capitol, Jace sent his two recruits back to training while he went to his father's office. When he walked in, Amarith was sitting at her secretary desk. She told Jace that they were waiting for him and that he could go in. Inside was his parents, Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Aaron.

"Welcome back," Aaron commented as Jace walked inside. Jace nodded at his cousin and sat down next to him.

"So, Jace, what did you find out in Antihex?" Brooke asked.

Jace looked to his family members. "There is a Decepticon uprising forming in Antihex. The extent of their influence is unknown but it is there. They say that the leader is some Decepticon named Nitroblade. As for the break-in, the owner said that no parts were stolen, but they stole his two sons," he explained.

Brooke froze and put a hand to her mouth. She couldn't imagine what would happen if Jace and Lucas were stole. Optimus, in his holoform, squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"And why have we not heard of this uprising before?" Ironhide asked.

"The leader of the city thought he could handle it on his own. I actually spent the night at his home after meeting his daughter. It seems as though he does not want to let anyone down and wants to prove that he can handle it on his own but he cannot," he explained. Aaron elbowed his cousin at the mention of 'daughter'.

Bumblebee put his servo on his helm. "We should send some military support to Antihex, just to be safe," he suggested. Everyone agreed with him.

"We have a few units we could send that way," Ironhide commented.

Optimus nodded to Ironhide. "Ironhide, you will be in charge of this investigation," he ordered.

This made Jace stand up in protest. "Wait, dad, what?! You put me in charge of it!" he objected. Optimus looked at his son with a stern look.

Brooke put her hand on Optimus' to calm him from reprimanding Jace. "It's just that this mission is proving too dangerous. We thought it was a simple break-in but now with the possibility of a Decepticon uprising, we need to give it to someone who has faced Decepticons before. This is the real deal," she explained.

"Mom, please. Let me take this! I'm mature and I will be the next leader of New Cybertron, so I need to have some sort of training!" Jace protested. "Decepticons are going to be here forever, whether we like it or not. But this is a new generation of Decepticons, meaning it's time to bring in the new generation of Autobots!"

The older generation looked perplexed. Jace did have a point and since the Hide and Pax children will be leaders one day, it was time for them to have some experience.

"We will allow you to take over investigations with Lucas, Aaron, and Anka. But you are all required to report in with us whenever you acquire a new lead," Optimus ordered. Aaron and Jace could do nothing but smile. Their first real mission!

"We promise we won't let you down!" Aaron assured.

With that, Aaron and Jace left the room and went quickly to collect Anka and Lucas. Meanwhile, Amarith watched her brother and cousin leave the room, upset that she wasn't included in the mission.


	4. Lies and Dreams

'Nitroblade, Nitroblade, Nitroblade.' Amarith kept repeating his name over and over in her head. She didn't want to forget it. As soon as her shift was over and she was supposed to return back to her room at the Capitol, she instead rushed to the memory room which was accessible by the leaders of New Cybertron but she was able to get in by using her mother's password. Why her mother used the same password for everything, she never knew.

She sat down at the giant super computer and began to look onto the database. She was able to quickly read the Cybertronian keyboard, being bilingual in English and Cybertronian, and typed in Nitroblade's name.

Instantly she was greeted with a close up of a Decepticon's face. He was purely silver with large wings sticking out of his back and blood red eyes. Amarith almost fell out of the chair with how big the close-up was. She then scrolled down and read the biography.

'Nitroblade  
>Alliance: Decepticon<br>Creators: Redpipe and Snapnose  
>Alternate Mode: Airship<p>

Nitroblade was born on Kaon where he easily fell under the Decepticon siding during the Great War. During the War, he was second-in-command of the Seekers, behind Commander Starscream. When Cybertron was destroyed, he fled the planet alone with the other Seekers. While the others united back with Starscream on Earth, there is no record of Nitroblade finding the location of his lost team. His whereabouts are currently unknown.'

Amarith scanned the data. There has to be something she was missing. Some sort of a clue that would connect him to these recent attacks. Obviously he was a high-ranking Seeker but there had to be something more. She looked to his creators and quickly pulled up all the data on them that she could. Snapnose, his sire, did not have any information. Only that he was a Decepticon who perished in the Great War. His carrier, Redpipe, didn't have any information either except her information linked to an unknown Decepticon. Amarith looked deeper into the Unknown Decepticon.

"Jackpot," she said as if finding gold.

Suddenly a voice came out in the darkness. "Isn't it a little late to be sneaking around?" Amarith jumped and turned to see her mother leaning against a wall.

Amarith quickly closed out of the data she found. "Oh, uh, hey mom! Just doing a bit of research on, uh, the history of the Primes!" she lied.

Brooke smirked and walked over to Amarith. "Hm, research, huh?" she asked. She then pressed a few buttons on the screen and the data for the Unknown Decepticon popped up. Brooke quickly scanned what the data said and was surprised. "Why are you looking at the page for Megatron's brother?" she asked.

"Okay mom, you caught me. I was hitting the 'I'm feeling lucky' button and it sent me here. Go figure!" Amarith lied.

This only caused Brooke to give her the famous 'mom look'. Amarith was a bad liar and had been ever since she could talk. Then she caught on. "You overheard our meeting, didn't you?" Amarith looked down to the floor, knowing she'd been caught. Brooke put a hand on her shoulder. "Amarith, don't worry about what we were talking about. Nitroblade is not a threat and, if he is, you need to leave it to those more experienced," she explained.

"But mom!" Amarith yelled. "If Megatron really is coming back, I need to know what I can do to help beat him! This is my planet too!"

Brooke looked sternly at her daughter. "Amarith listen to me. Megatron is not coming back. The Matrix inside of me destroyed him; it assured me of it," she lectured.

Amarith knew this argument was going nowhere. She was young and there was no way her mother would let her get involved in a war so quick. Even if her mother had already killed the leader of the Decepticons by the time she was her age.

"Alright mom, you're right. Maybe I was just freaking out for nothing," she lied. She was definitely trying her best and it seemed to get through.

Brooke ruffled her hair and went to open the door to the room. "Now, come on, it's time for you to get some sleep," she said. Amarith nodded and closed the database.

After Amarith left, Brooke leaned up against a wall and sighed. She began a mantra she learned many years ago. 'Megatron is not coming back, Megatron is not coming back, Megatron is not coming back," she began.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback, 23 years prior<em>

_The streets of New Cybertron were completely dark. There was no traffic and no pedestrians. Even the light-up advertisements were turned off. Brooke was all alone in the middle of a road._

_Suddenly she heard it. Large footsteps. But they weren't the usual ones of Optimus that she was so used to. She had heard it once before. On the Decepticon warship._

_Brooke turned to see exactly who she feared: Megatron. _

"_You? How are you here?" she yelled, stumbling back. _

_The Decepticon smirked. "Oh, you thought you could get rid of me that fast? I'm not that easy to leave," he explained. He took steps closer to Brooke. "I am always with you, Prime."_

_Brooke had never felt so much fear before. Only when she saw Megatron could she feel the emotion through her entire body. But that fear increased tenfold when she heard a noise: a baby cry. _

"_I had to come say hello to my old enemies' child, of course. I'm glad it didn't take that long for me to come see him," he said with a smirk. He lowered his hand to show a small, newborn baby in his hand. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, and his little face was turning red. _

_Brooke gasped and froze. "Let him go," she begged. Megatron only chuckled and he reached for the baby. "No, no!" she yelled, and soon fell into darkness._

_._

_Brooke jumped up in her bed with a scream. She grabbed at her chest and looked around at her surroundings. It wasn't long before Optimus had woken up and was at her side, his fingers rubbing smooth circles on her back. "Brooke, are you alright?" he asked her. _

_Brooke could barely contain herself. She jumped out of bed and ran down the hallway of the home. Fearing for her children, she put all of the electricity she could into her hands. She ran straight to the closest bedroom and opened up the door. Inside was Jace sleeping in his bed and Lucas, the newest edition to the family, sleeping in his crib._

_She began to calm down when she saw her two sons sleeping peacefully and not in the grip of Megatron. But it seemed too good to be true as a hand grabbed her shoulder. She began to spark electricity and turned, ready to attack the assailant. But Optimus grabbed her wrist before she could touch him._

"_Brooke I need you to calm down," Optimus said, using his holoform to grab on to her and keep her still. Brooke began to tear up and put her head in Optimus' chest. _

_The tussle seemed to be louder than they thought, because it woke Lucas up, who began to cry. The crying then began to rouse Jace from his sleep as well. The two parents knew what they had to do almost instinctively. Brooke moved to Jace and told him to go back to sleep while Optimus picked up Lucas and rocked him until he stopped crying. When their children were quiet and asleep again, they left the room and went back to their own bedroom._

"_So tell me what you dreamed of," Optimus asked, transforming into his true form and kneeling before her. Brooke sat on the edge of the bed. _

"_Megatron had returned. A-And he had Lucas in his hand. He was about to hurt him when I woke up. I'm so sorry I freaked out like that," she apologized. _

_Optimus looked at her sympathetically. "Brooke, if Megatron were back, you would know of it. Our bond has overshadowed your bond with him, but it is still there. If he was alive, you would feel a pull you haven't felt in years," he assured._

_Brooke knew Optimus was right. She couldn't feel a connection to Megatron at all. Just thinking about him filled her with nothing but fear. _

"_You're right," she said. "I'm sorry for freaking out and almost shocking you."_

_Optimus smirked and his optics dimmed. "It was not the first time and it will certainly not be the last," he joked. Brooke blushed and looked at the floor. "Now come, you need sleep. Ackerman is visiting tomorrow and you need to be awake to show him around."_

_Brooke nodded at her husband and laid down. But no matter what she did, she couldn't get Megatron's face out of her mind._


End file.
